On Thanksgiving

​When my immigrant family celebrated its first Thanksgiving in November 1978, we didn’t think of it as anything but an “American Holiday”. It was all about being thankful for the bounty of this country and the blessings of liberty and the rule of law. This was a time to rejoice and be thankful, no matter where you had grown up, what your beliefs were, or what language you spoke in you home.
It pains me to end to see this beautiful holiday being politicized, turned into a weapon to exploit conflicts between native Americans and pilgrims, pit one set of arrivals against those who were already there.
No doubt, native Americans have suffered, so have black-Americans, and most other hyphenated Americans, in one way or other.  Why can’t we, all of us, put all our differences aside for one single day, come together to celebrate our common destiny, our common land?
We cannot and should not change history, but for the sake of future, let’s not make it a weapon to alienate more people.